One-on-One Personal Training - Finally, I Have My Visible Abs!! | Operation 健康アップ

It's been about 10+ months since I started training one-on-one with my personal trainer, Superman and sorry I haven't been updating much on the blog {more so on Instagram and Facebook so do follow my progress there if interested}.

But then I recently had my progress measurements and felt insanely happy that I finally have some visible abs that I just had to put it down in my blog for memories' sake hehe. Oh man, you have NO idea how long I've wanted this!! Having a strong and ripped core is like.. my #forevergoal haha.

Even at my leanest in Genesis Gym, I never saw my abs like this. There's still a long way for me to get leaner and hopefully be able to get my stubborn lower abs to come out of hiding and see them even more visibly. From the above pics, you can see how I've progressed from the first day I started with Superman on 3 Jan 2017 at 23% body fat, to how I can see parts of my upper 2 or 4-packs, and obliques on 3 Nov 2017 at 16.9% body fat.

{However, do note that from my training with Superman, I've learnt that measurement numbers.. even body fat percentage numbers, don't always give a true picture of your health, body composition and fitness. I'll touch more on that in a later blog post.}

I want to show you though that the most significant change came after 12 Sep 2017, when I became even more committed to keeping to my food calories at 1,450 calories/day. I'd say I was 98% committed and exceeded my daily calorie intake slightly less than 10x {??} during that 8 weeks period. And in that period, I lost about 2% body fat just by making a change in my diet, with no change to my workouts.

Before that, I was maybe 80-90% committed and exceeded my daily calorie intake almost weekly, especially during the weekends, and sometimes by more than 1,000 calories!! #eeks

So my point is even with minimal lower body work {because of chronic back/knee injuries}, non-existent met-cons, a little cardio {stair-climbs}, the better quality food intake and painful 98% adherence to my daily calorie intake really made a huge difference in getting me much leaner. The truth is, if you want to lose fat, your nutrition should be your number one focus. What you do in the gym takes second place.

Yes, building muscles to lose fat is important, but if your nutrition is not on point, all that is moot too.

Yesterday I reached a happy milestone 🤗 I finally hit 55kg! This was the FIRST fitness goal I set out for myself {before I knew more about building muscles & body fat composition etc} when I first started training regularly in Jul 2015 but even at my leanest & strongest in Genesis gym, I never hit this weight 🙊🙈 It was ok too, since in the grand scheme of health & fitness, the numbers on the scale don't matter.. but honestly at the back of my mind, there's always a nagging thought of wanting to reach this goal... It's been a long and hard road {not only because of the tedious workouts, but mainly because I'm such a foodie and controlling what I eat can be quite painful!} so I'm really glad.. no, ECSTATIC actually! to finally reach this milestone at my current strength and leanness. Even if it took me nearly 2.5 years!! 🎊 Many thanks to my family and trainer Superman for the support, motivation and sometimes tough love they gave me all this time. And also to my blog readers and friends who drop me messages of encouragement too. Thank you all!! 🙌🏻🌸 #sakuraharuka #aifitnessdiary #trngwithb #fitfam #dontgiveup #finallydone

A post shared by Ai Sakura  (@aisakuraharuka) on Oct 24, 2017 at 5:46pm PDT

Having visible abs is a superficial goal, no doubt, but it signifies a lot of the work and endurance that went into it. It's not just about working hard, but working smart too.

During my time with Superman, there has been a number of ups and downs. Sometimes as I'm getting stronger and nearer to my fitness goals, something unexpected happens and sets me back. There are periods where I'm one step forward, and then two steps backwards so as much as I am happy with my achievements in the gym, there have been many frustrations too which kind of put me off writing about it.

Case in point - since end September, my left wrist and right shoulder got injured at the same time and that really limited the number of exercises I can do to a very, very small pool especially since I've a chronic back problem. Since then, I haven't been able to do a single pull-up, push-up or even pronated shoulder press and Superman has to help me lift the weights up for certain exercises because I can't even support them on my own.   

It's never fun getting injured and after training my upper body for the past year or so since my back injury started to be more intense..it's a wonder that my upper body didn't break down even earlier. The first day I went in with these fresh injuries, there was a moment with Superman and I just stared blankly at one another when we realised that there's so much less that I can do now.. BUT even when I felt so low, he stayed positive, redesigned my programs AGAIN and we trudged through as best as we could.

I really did feel pretty low and frustrated, especially since I was progressing in my pull-ups and shoulder presses. I can't do deadlifts or back squats anymore, and then it just felt like even those exercises were "taken away" from me. Sigh.

Anyway this year has been pretty tough mentally and emotionally with all my injury setbacks that hampered progress in most of my fitness goals. However, when I can't train as hard or as often as I want to, there had to be a shift in mindset to training smarter, focusing more on recovery, getting my nutritional diet in check, and overall being more positive and stronger mentally.

When your gym progress has stalled or is stalling, you tend to want to work harder in the gym to get it moving again.

However, it's actually more beneficial to not do that, and instead focus on what you're doing outside the gym. It took me a while to understand and practice what Superman and the boy have been trying to tell me the past year to slow down, sleep more and eat better... and I do think I'm in a much better place now than when I first started, thanks to their support and guidance.

These abs were built this year not with insane, heart-pumping killer metcon workouts or heavy weights {both of which I'm unable to do at the moment}, but with smart workout programming, diligence in keeping to my nutritional diet calories with more quality food, and making an effort to rest more. Factors which also help me in rebuilding my body and recovering from my injuries.

For now, I'm looking forward to ending 2017 on a high note, and starting 2018 all fresh & injury-free! ❤ 

Follow my Fitness Diary posts here or on Instagram {#AiFitnessDiary}.

One-on-On Personal Training Updates:

The Beginning - First 4 Months
Girls Can Pull-Up Too!
Finally, I Have Visible Abs! 

Genesis Gym Personal Training Updates:
The Beginning - Signing Up for Personal Training

Week 1 - Getting the Right Form for Fitness

Week 2 - The Right Trainer Matters

Week 3 - Keeping Fit Needs Brain & Brawns

Week 4 - Reality Check

Week 5 - New Workout Programs, New Challenges
Week 6 - Program Progress Report
Week 7 - Training with a Weak Back
Week 8 - Keep Calm & Gym On
Week 9 - Making Sense of Trap Lifts, TRX & Med Ball Slams

Week 10 - Workout Max Out
Week 11 - Rolling in the Deep
Week 12 - Program End Report
Week 13 - Start of Cycle 2
Weeks 14 to 16 - Slow & Steady
Weeks 17 to 20 - Milos Giant Sets
Weeks 21 to 24 - Cycle 2 Program End Report
Weeks 25 to 28 - German Volume Training & MetCon Workouts
Weeks 29 to 32 - What Doesn't Kill You
Weeks 33 to 36 -  Cycle 3 Program End Report
Personal Training - Results 1 Year Later

Wendler's 5/3/1 Program to Reach Strength Targets
15% Body Fat Target Reached!
Good Bye Genesis Gym

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Go Local :: Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle & Dragon Kiln

In the midst of the year-end exam madness, Lil Pumpkin took a break and attended her classmate's birthday party at Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle on a Sunday afternoon.

What a unique venue for a birthday party!! Not your typical indoor-playground-kids-go-berserk party venue, which Lil Pumpkin loves no doubt, but this was a place that I've been wanting to go to myself for a loooooong time!!

However, it is at a far end of Singapore for us i.e. very ulu and inconvenient to get to, and lazy me being me, I've been putting it off until now... so so glad that we had a good nudge to head down and explore a bit!

I think I have a love-to-party face, which isn't exactly wrong since I do love parties, so I always get thrown into party-planning at work or for friends' gatherings.. but honestly, there's a difference between party-attending, and party-planning. I hate party-planning.

Too much effort, coordination and time required. And most of the time, you can't even appreciate the party you meticulously took to plan as well as you've to make sure it runs smoothly!! Geez.. I'd rather just show up and enjoy the party as a guest haha..

Looking back, I think the only parties I willingly planned was for our wedding, and for Lil Pumpkin's manyue party and her 2nd birthday. Even then, her parties were kept small for only close family and friends, and I have no idea how I managed to pull off organising our wedding celebration held over 2 days with around 250 guests, and even some coming in from overseas.

Knowing the amount of work that goes into party-planning, I'm always grateful to the parents of kids' whose amazing parties Lil Pumpkin gets to attend, no matter they be small & intimate, or big & extravagant.

This recent party she attended tops my personal fave list though as it incorporated a bit of Singapore heritage / culture into it.. something you know I hold dear in my heart and hope Lil Pumpkin can experience more of.

Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle {aka TK Pottery} is a family pottery business and where you can find one of Singapore's oldest "dragon kiln" that was built in the 1940s. There are only 2 dragon kilns left in Singapore, with the other one being in Jalan Bahar Clay Studios {near TK Pottery}.

Dragon kilns are made of bricks and take up large spaces. TK Pottery's 36m long dragon kiln is about 2m wide and can hold up to 5,000 ceramic pieces. Wood is used to fire the kiln from various openings {known as the dragon's "eyes"} and it's only fired when there are about 3,000 clay pieces.

Therefore, its dragon kiln is only fired up 3-4 times a year after amassing enough pieces from its weekly workshops or from the public {yes, you can bring in your own pieces to fire too!} and outsiders can also take a look at how the labour-intensive process is done too.

FYI, the firing process requires the dragon kiln to be kept lit for 24 hours at a constant temperature of 1,260℃!!

TK Pottery offers regular programs and workshops for kids and adults in one of their 4 studios that includes materials, glazing and firing.

From their website, I see that a 2-hr workshop costs S$48/adult, S$38/child {7-14 years old} and S$65/parent + child {below 6 years old}.

The birthday party was held in one of their studios which was a second-floor loft. Pretty cooling, cozy, and kampong-ish hehe...

I'm not sure if the balloons were brought in by the parents of the birthday kid or provided by TK Pottery for their party package, but it certainly made the otherwise dull atmosphere more cheerful and kids-friendly. 

It was a drop-off party and apparently TK Pottery charged the party by head so if parents wanted to sit-in, they had to pay additional charges to join the pottery party workshop...

Not that we wanted to, really haha. The boy and I are happy to drop Lil Pumpkin off to play with her friends while we had a little me-time to ourselves (*≧▽≦) Lil Pumpkin likes it that way too heh.. We can always come back another time to join a pottery workshop.

At the beginning of the party, the kids went for a little educational tour at the dragon kiln to learn more about its history and how it functions. I'm sure they were all very excited to know that their precious DIY clay pieces would be fired up in there too!

One thing I notice about Lil Pumpkin's parties nowadays, especially with her classmates, is that it's mainly organised via Whatsapp groups. I have my fair share of apprehension regarding Whatsapp groups {see my tongue-in-cheek list of 10 Types of Parents You Meet in Whatsapp Groups} but they are no doubt very useful too.

Throughout the party, the host mum sent us photos and updated us on the party going-ons so that it seemed like we were there with the kiddos too..

Apparently there was one workshop instructor who taught the kids how to mould the clay to make a fish {??} holder and they got to decorate and paint it themselves.

The beautiful handmade pottery that the kids made yesterday 💕 It's going to be fired in one of Singapore's oldest surviving brick-built kiln {built in 1940s} in the next few weeks.. How precious! 🌸 #sakuraharuka #singapore #sgkids #diy #pottery #sgmemory #golocal #sosingaporean #handmade #tkpotteryjungle

A post shared by Ai Sakura  (@aisakuraharuka) on Oct 22, 2017 at 8:25pm PDT

I can't wait to see Lil Pumpkin's finished pottery product! The first one she has ever made!! °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°

Other than hosting pottery workshops and classes, TK Pottery also sells a large variety of ceramic items that are decently priced.

There are aisles & aisles and shelves & shelves of pots, plates, cups, mugs, vases, jars, bowls etc. and it will take probably a whole day to look through everything! As it was really hot that afternoon and the boy and I wanted to do groceries while Lil Pumpkin was at the party, I just had a quick walk-through but I definitely want to be back again to pick up some stuff... and maybe do a little Christmas shopping too hehe.

The next dragon kiln firing is on Sat 11 Nov 2017, 9am and there are free guided tours at 1pm & 5pm {no reservations required}. We might try to head back there that day.

TK Pottery is collaborating with the famous pottery artist, Ros Lee, of Polkaroos fame. If you like her work, you can shop for some of her goods there or even attend one of her workshops.

Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle
85 Lorong Waras
Open daily 9am - 5pm {except Chinese New Year}
Tel: 6268 6121
Website:  http://thowkwang.com.sg/

Other Singapore heritage places:

Japanese Cemetery Park {日本人墓地公園}

Malaysian Royal Family Graveyard {Tanah Kubur Diraja}

 Makam Puteri Radin Mas {Keramat Radin Mas}

Sembawang Hot Spring

Singapore Lighthouse {Raffles, Fullerton & Sultan Shoal}

Singapore Southern Islands {St John's, Lazarus & Seringat}

 Sungei Road Theives Market {closed July 2017}

Heritage Kids Playgrounds

Kampong Buangkok

 Buddha Tooth Relic Temple & Museum

Raffles Hotel

Old Changi Hospital
Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle & Dragon Kiln

*Note: This is not a sponsored or paid advertorial. All opinions are my own.

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Go Local :: Old Changi Hospital

Mention Old Changi Hospital and you'd immediately think of an old, abandoned hospital standing atop a lonely hill... all creepy and haunted.

Fact of the matter is, Old Changi Hospital is old and abandoned, but it isn't that creepy {at least during the day when we were there..} and didn't seem haunted either.

Earlier this month, my friend Jerome organised a heritage walk to Old Changi Hospital and we managed to have exclusive access to it, thanks to kind folks at Singapore Land Authority {SLA}.

Since Old Changi Hospital is currently inaccessible to the public, without SLA's permission, you will be charged with trespassing if you're caught setting foot inside the property!

Built in the 1930s, Old Changi Hospital was originally not a hospital, but was just part a British military base. It was only in 1947 that it was commissioned as the Royal Air Force {RAF} Hospital and served British military officers.

During WWII, it was part of a POW camp that housed more than 50,000 prisoners. There's an unconfirmed claim that it also had a torture chamber operated by the Kempeitai {Japanese military police} and this gave rise to the rumoured haunting of Old Changi Hospital by these poor victimised souls & spirits of those who died in the hospital.

However, these unverified claims are unlikely to be true, based on what I learnt during the walk.
Jerome mentioned that there are no actual accounts of torture, but there are accounts that point to the POWs having minimal contact with the Japanese and they were mostly free to roam within the confines of the area.

After WWII, it was returned to the British then passed on to the Commonwealth forces in 1971 when the British started withdrawing their troops from an independent Singapore. The hospital was renamed as Anzuk Hospital, where "Anzuk" referred to the Australian, New Zealand and United Kingdom armed forces. Later on, our Singapore Armed Forces {SAF} took over the hospital and it catered to medical care of SAF personnel and their immediate families. Gradually, the hospital's services was also extended to members of the public.

In 1997, it merged with Toa Payoh Hospital to form Changi General Hospital and relocated to Simei. The old buildings were thus abandoned and ownership was transferred to SLA.

The abandoned Old Changi Hospital land was originally planned to be developed into a luxury spa-resort, but the project fell threw and the current compound is still left vacant and mostly unattended... such a shame, really.

Many moons ago *ahem* I'd once entered Old Changi Hospital with friends at night... That seems to be de rigueur for any teen having a sleepover at one of the many Changi chalets, no? haha

Anyway, nothing frightening happened to us but one of my friends mentioned that he did feel a little uneasy...

When I went down that Saturday morning, it was all bright and sunny, and the derelict buildings of Old Changi Hospital didn't seem scary at all, just kinda sad, really.

Jerome gave quite a long talk on the history of Old Changi Hospital before we started exploring the premises. It was an interesting group to be with as there was a man {Mr Lim Fung Ming} who once worked at the hospital as a medic when he was a young chap, and another lady {Mrs Shona Trench} who was actually born there!

Oh I can only imagine their sense of nostalgia and delight at being back after all these years! ヾ(＾∇＾)

Once inside, Jerome spoke briefly about the architecture and uses of the different floors & rooms.

Some parts of the Hospital were cordoned off for safety reasons but we were able to explore parts of all 3 blocks of Old Changi Hospital - Blocks 24, 161 and 37.

I love the big, airy windows and greenery surrounding the Hospital... which reminded me of Alexandra Hospital, where I was born (*^▽^*)

Alexandra Hospital was also constructed in the 1930s and used as a British military hospital. Like Old Changi Hospital, tragedy hit it during WWII and a huge massacre took place there...but unlike Old Changi Hospital, the buildings are still in use and it does not have a bad rep as a haunted hospital... which was probably purported by the many local films / tv shows which used Old Changi Hospital as a backdrop for their spooky scenes.

Something that SLA probably regrets giving permission to as they now have a hard time getting people to shake off the image of Old Changi Hospital as a haunted hospital heh.

In fact, when we registered for the tour, they had a specific clause that participants aren't allowed to put the property in any negative light / add to the speculation of the hauntings in any of our social media postings.

Time and tide waits for no man... it's hard to imagine that just 20 years ago, this grand hospital was bustling with life and energy.

Now it is really in such a sad shape with no concrete plans for its future..
 

It was so good to have a simple morning out and about with friends exploring parts of unseen Singapore. For better understanding, you can read more about Old Changi Hospital from Jerome's write-up or see his video on the real story behind Old Changi Hospital.

Unfortunately, Lil Pumpkin was not allowed to come for this heritage walk as they thought it wouldn't be too safe for kids but hopefully, I'd be able to bring her there in the future before it gets torn down...

Old Changi Hospital
24 Halton Rd, Singapore 506997
Not open to public 

Other Singapore heritage places:

Japanese Cemetery Park {日本人墓地公園}

Malaysian Royal Family Graveyard {Tanah Kubur Diraja}

 Makam Puteri Radin Mas {Keramat Radin Mas}

Sembawang Hot Spring

Singapore Lighthouse {Raffles, Fullerton & Sultan Shoal}

Singapore Southern Islands {St John's, Lazarus & Seringat}

 Sungei Road Theives Market {closed July 2017}

Heritage Kids Playgrounds

Kampong Buangkok

 Buddha Tooth Relic Temple & Museum

Raffles Hotel

Old Changi Hospital
Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle & Dragon Kiln 

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Kids Indoor Rock-Climb @ Climb Central, Kallang Wave Mall

Lil Pumpkin had her first rock-climbing experience last weekend at Climb Central!

Whenever we are at Kallang Wave Mall, Lil Pumpkin would always ask if she could go rock-climbing since we always pass by Climb Central on the way in. It's really hard to miss it as it's just riiiiiggggggght at the main entrance {good location, guys!!} and there's just no other way around it unless we take a huge round in from the back.

On Saturday, the boy wanted to get another sling for his arm as the one he bought from the hospital after the shoulder surgery was very uncomfortable. Once he told Lil Pumpkin that we were going to Kallang Wave Mall to search for one, she immediately asked if she could go rock-climbing... she actually remembered that it was there!!

Her daddy dearest agreed and she was so excited for the experience! ❤

We reached there about 5.30pm and as expected, Climb Central was packed. That was really the main reason why I wasn't inclined to let Lil Pumpkin try rock-climbing on our earlier visits to Kallang Wave Mall.

I'm not worried that she will be frightened of heights or fall and hurt herself, but more that we are usually always there during peak hours and I think it's a waste of time just hanging around waiting to climb when the place is so crowded.

Anyway, since we already agreed for her to try, we had to keep our word.

Registration took longer than expected even though there was no queue as there was some glitch with the online registration form. I should have researched more into rock-climbing there before we went as we could have actually registered at home to save time.

After registering and making payment for 1 x Adult-Child Entry {includes whole day Adult-Child day pass + 1 equipment set}, we received 2 small membership key cards for Lil Pumpkin and myself then went to collect the rental equipment set {climbing shoes & safety harness} for Lil Pumpkin.

The last step we had to do before we could climb was to attend their compulsory safety briefing. All first-time visitors are required to attend the safety briefing conducted by their staff every 15 minutes. In the short briefing {about 10-15 mins?} they shared some basic safety tips, belaying fundamentals {i.e. how to hold the rope for your partner} and gym orientation.

This was Lil Pumpkin's first time rock-climbing but actually, the boy and I used to do indoor rock-climbing fairly regularly with friends for a period of time during our Uni days. It was our "couple thing" and being at Climb Central brought back fond memories of those days... in fact, the boy was so into it he actually bought his own shoes, chalk bag and I think even harness!

Unfortunately, his rock-climbing equipment set has since been misplaced on our move back to Singapore.. oh well.

I was sharing with a friend that we brought Lil Pumpkin to rock-climb that day and he asked if she could do it. I was quite puzzled as I never thought that Lil Pumpkin could not do it. I never thought that she would be scared to climb up the tall walls, or not be strong enough to pull / push herself up.

But yeah, I guess that's a possibility for anyone thinking of going rock-climbing haha. You really shouldn't be afraid of heights, and should be able to move your own body-weight if you are thinking of trying out this sport.

Climb Central staff shared that their lowest levels start at Level 4, and Lil Pumpkin should try out Levels 4 or 5 as a first-timer. Anything higher than that might be too difficult for her. They also have climbing lanes {identified by the adorable animal/ alphabet wall holds or grips!} just for kids.

At first we went around looking for Level 4 or 5 climbing lanes for Lil Pumpkin to use, but then after her first few climbs, realised that she's not going to keep to wall holds designated for that level's route. Since she will be using any wall hold available to lift herself up, the specified level for the climbing lane didn't really matter.

So after that, we just went around looking for climbing lanes that looked interesting or had big enough wall holds for her to use hehe..

Climb Central is the tallest indoor air-conditioned sport climbing venue in Singapore with approximately 1,000 square meters of climbing wall space.

So even though it looked crowded, in actual fact there was a fair bit of empty lanes and most of the time, Lil Pumpkin could climb up whichever lane she wanted to without waiting at all.

And climb she did!! Lil Pumpkin was a fast learner and didn't seem like she was out of her comfort zone at all haha... I made sure that she understood that the rope had to be tight before she could ascend. If it wasn't taut enough and she fell, she might be seriously injured.

Lil Pumpkin was eager to try out a variety of routes and wall holds {although her fave was one with pink animals on the second floor}.. and although there were many times that she got stuck halfway up, she took her time to look around and really try different ways of getting up.

Sometimes, she managed to work her way through the hurdle, but other times, she had to give up and come back down. In any case, not finishing the climbs didn't get keep her down and she was happy to try it again, or move on to other climbing lanes.

I didn't climb at all that day, although I could if I rented an extra equipment set for S$7. It didn't cross my mind to do it as I thought the pass we bought only allowed the child to climb, while the adult supervised but I was too tired that day to do it anyway.

Next time I will though. Like I mentioned before, being there brought back fond memories of indoor rock-climbing and reignited my interest to do it again ( ᐛ )و

We spent about 1.5hrs there before we headed for dinner and I'm sure that we will be back again soon since Lil Pumpkin had such a ball of a time! (´∇ﾉ｀*)ノ Check out the above video of her reaching the top of the wall for the first time! She's using the auto-belay system {so I don't have to help her with the ropes}, and you can hear the boy and I cheering her on hehe..

If it isn't working well, please see it on my YouTube channel here.

This might be our new mother-daughter activity together until the boy's arm heals completely I guess haha... I am already looking for cute chalk-bags to use during our climbs! (⌒▽⌒)☆

When you have fun working out, it's not work at all ✌🏻🌸 #sakuraharuka #aifitnessdiary #trngwithb #workouteverywhere #saturyay

A post shared by Ai Sakura  (@aisakuraharuka) on Sep 9, 2017 at 5:13am PDT

Tips:

• To enter the facility, you need to be at least 5 years old, 20kg and 1.1m tall. Kids below 5 years old are not allowed into the climbing area. 
• At least one supervising adult required for every two children entering the facility. 
• Everyone entering the facility will need to fill out the Facility Registration form as a participant. Register at home here before you go to save time. 
• Wear sports attire {knee-length or longer pants advised} and a pair of socks. If you forget, you can buy socks there for S$2/pair for kids and adults.
• Water cooler and shower facilities are available on-site. Toilets are located outside Climb Central in the mall itself {nearest one next to Starbucks, Level 1}.
• Equipment set includes 1 x climbing shoes + 1 x safety harness. There are kids and adult shoe sizes, and the safety harnesses are adjustable to different body sizes.
• Auto-belay systems are available at Climb Central so you can rock-climb even without a partner. The auto belay takes up the slack of the rope as a climber ascends and controls the descent when the climber reaches the top or in the event of a fall. Even kids as young as Lil Pumpkin can use this system, as long as the adult is there to supervise. 
• If you are not available to join your kid while he/she climbs, Climb Central has a Intro Kids programme where you can drop your kids off and they have 1.5hrs of guided climbing {1 staff to 5 kids max}. Advance booking is required and it's only available every Sun, 1pm - 2.30pm.

Climb Central
#B1-01 Kallang Wave Mall, 1 Stadium Place
Open:  11am - 11pm {Mon - Fri}, 9am - 9pm {Sat, Sun & PHs}
Cost: Starts from S$28. Adult-Child Entry Pass costs S$38.
Tel:  6702 7972
Website: https://climbcentral.sg/

Check out the rest of our Bub & Me activities or list of kid-friendly places in Singapore too. You can also check out the FREE waterplay playground on top of Kallang Wave Mall or dry playground on top of the nearby Sports Hub Library if you are in the area.

*Note: This is not a paid review or advertorial. All opinions are my own.

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Monster Jam Singapore 2017 @ National Stadium, Singapore Sports Hub

If you're like me, your social media feeds last Saturday was probably filled with pictures and videos of monster trucks and unbelievable, jaw-dropping motor-vehicle stunts because Monster Jam Singapore was here!! Woohoo~!

It was the first time they were in town, and the first time I actually saw anything like that live actually! Making its first appearance in Singapore, the mega motorsport event from the United States featured 10 of the most high-profile trucks in the scene, including four-time Monster Jam World Finals champion Grave Digger, 11-time world champion Max-D, El Toro Loco and Monster Mutt Dalmatian.

Ok, some parts of the show were kinda slow e.g. when they were waiting to set-up the course or when they were towing away the trucks that rolled over.. but once the monster trucks were in place, it was gravity-defying stunts and action all the way!! Seriously, those Monster Jam truck drivers have crazy skills!!!

We arrived around 4pm for the Pit Party where we had access to see all the monster trucks and drivers up close. It was super packed though and tickets to the Pit Party were sold out much earlier on. I was a little surprised to see sooooo many people around as I didn't really think that Monster Jam was very popular here in Singapore, but boy was I wrong.

At 4pm the Pit Party was in full swing and despite our huge National Stadium grounds, you could barely walk around before bumping into anyone. There were lots of families around and later on in the night when I was checking Facebook and Instagram, I realised that at least 20? of my friends were there with their friends and families too haha..

On hindsight.. maybe we should have arrived earlier when the Pit Party started at 2pm to get good shots of the Monster Jam trucks and meet the drivers. By the time we were there, there was literally no way you could get a good frame without some random stranger photo-bombing your shots hehe..

A lot of the popular merchandise like Hot Wheel Monster Jam toy trucks and kids earphones were already sold out at the merchandise stalls inside the Pit Party, and outside the National Stadium.

Queues were super long too so we didn't bother to line up and buy anything then {although I was eyeing a t-shirt and maybe a toy??} but just walked around to admire the Monster Jam trucks and take photos. Spent about 1.5hr at the pit party before we left for dinner at the nearby Kallang Wave Mall.

Memorabilia from tonight's jaw-dropping Monster Jam Singapore! 🚜💕 Such a sucker for souvenir cups haha.. I was a little confused abt what that silver thing was then found out that it was an engine "piston" hehe... 🤗🌸 #sakuraharuka #monsterjam #monsterjamsg #singapore #omiyage #お土産 #redismyfavouritecolour

A post shared by Ai Sakura  (@aisakuraharuka) on Aug 19, 2017 at 8:59am PDT

We picked up some souvenirs at night while waiting for the carpark exit queues to clear.. I'm always such a sucker for souvenir cups haha and since this year is Monser Jam's 25th Anniversary, might as well get a souvenir T-shirt in my favourite colour as well!!

A little bummed that I didn't manage to get a Scooby Doo truck toy though.. went to Toys R Us to find last night but it's not sold there?? Maybe have to order online. Definitely can't find the tire muffs there at Toys R Us too.

The Monster Jam Singapore show started at 7pm and lasted about 2.5hrs. At Monster Jam shows, monster trucks face off in two different forms of competition - Racing and Freestyle.

In the Racing segment, 2 monster trucks will compete around the pit, and the first truck to cross the finish line moves onto the next round until it is eliminated or wins the overall Racing trophy. I didn't really find this segment as captivating as the Freestyle segment since not many stunts were done but it was still interesting to see the wildly-styled monster trucks speeding against one another.

Although Grave Digger and El Toro Loco were no doubt the all-time fan favourites... I actually liked Scooby Doo and another monster truck, Megalodon, that's shaped like a huge shark. Both are so cute!!! Although.. I don't think "cute" is a usual term to describe big, powerful monster trucks which measure about 3.2m tall, 3.7m wide, 5.2m long and weighs at least 2,000kg each hahaha

The video above shows what a typical race is like.. specially took it because it features a "dog fight" between Scooby-Doo and Monster Mutt Dalmation!! 🐕

The finals had Monster Energy {sponsored by the energy drink brand} racing against Grave Digger, who eventually took the racing trophy that night.

Monster Energy ended up winning the Freestyle segment and overall Monster Jam Singapore champion trophy though!! 

Scooby Doo's freestyle performance

El Toro Loco's freestyle performance

Grave Digger's freestyle performance - look out for his back flip!!

I don't think split-second photos do the stunts any justice so do take the time to watch the videos and admire all the breath-taking monster truck stunts and tricks. If the videos aren't showing properly, catch them on my YouTube channel. 

The freestyle competition allows drivers 2 minutes on an open floor to show off their skills as they drive the trucks over cars, and do feats like big air jumps, doughnuts {where the truck spins in circles}, wheelies {where the truck is just on 2 wheels} or even flip-overs {where the truck is on its back and wheels in the air}!

The freestyle winner is determined by 6 judges each giving a score out of 10 and fans can also vote and give scores with the panel of judges.

Although the stars for the night were no doubt the famous larger-than-life Monster Jam trucks driven by world-class athletes who demonstrate the rare combination of physical strength, mental stamina and dexterity, I must say that I was extremely impressed by the dare-devil stunts performed by the motocross riders at the intermission show.

Like seriously, WOW!!! I've seen clips of motocross freestyle stunts online before but watching it live is certainly another kind of experience. The whole stadium's atmosphere was electrifying and you feel such an adrenaline rush watching them... I was literally on the edge of my seat the whole time and couldn't help but cheer in elation each time a harder stunt was performed.

Please, please, please watch the above motocross video I took to know what I mean, although I wish you could have been there to watch and feel it for yourself!  

Monster Jam Singapore certainly was a very unique and eye-opening experience, and I'm really glad that we got to enjoy it even though it's not something that I'd usually go for.

But hey, we always gotta be open to new experiences and adventures, right? (*＾▽＾)／ ❤

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Go Local :: Raffles Hotel Singapore's "A Last, Lingering Look at an Icon" Tour

On Monday night, Lil Pumpkin and I went down to Raffles Hotel Singapore to take "A Last, Lingering Look at an Icon" before it closes completely for restoration at the end of the year.

It was preview for a newly-launched guided tour by National Heritage Board {NHB} and Raffles Hotel Singapore. Held from Aug 1 to 12 daily, visitors can trace the footsteps of many VIPs that have entered the doors of the hotel that once faced the sea before the hotel starts Phase 2 of its restoration works on the main hotel building and Lobby, as well as a portion of the hotel suites.

Following that, Raffles Hotel Singapore will close for the final phase near the end of 2017 before a grand reopening in the second quarter of 2018.

{Raffles Hotel in present day}

I personally find it very important that Lil Pumpkin experiences and learns more about Singapore's colourful culture and heritage as much as she can.. I mean, living in a young country like Singapore that is constantly striving to progress and develop, things change very fast.

At the blink of an eye, places disappear, buildings get torn down, landscapes transform.. a lot of times, if we don't make an effort to go out and catch a glimpse or experience something for ourselves, what we have or see now will most likely be relegated to our history books in the future.

{Raffles Hotel in 1950s}

It was a real treat to enter and walk around Raffles Hotel Singapore and explore spaces that are rarely opened to the public...

While the public are free to roam the Raffles Hotel Shopping Arcade and its dining facilities like the Long Bar or Tiffin Room, inside the main building of the hotel and the Lobby are exclusive to hotel guests and their visitors.

Unless you've a reason to be there e.g. to stay, attend a wedding, meet someone who is a hotel guest, attend a tour etc., you won't have the privilege to enter at will and enjoy the ambiance, the service, the charm and the heritage of the hotel.

{Long Bar in late 1970s}

Opened in 1887, Raffles Singapore is one of the few remaining great 19th century hotels in the world. Till today, its architecture is perfectly preserved both inside and out, giving it an intoxicating blend of luxury, history and classic colonial design. Within its walls are 103 expansive suites, framed by polished teak verandas and white marble colonnades, clustered around lush tropical gardens.

In 1987, a hundred years after its founding, Raffles Hotel was gazetted as a National Monument and has undergone changes and additions to its original building over the years, as part of its upgrading.

We started off by visiting a recreation of the room where one of Raffles Hotel Singapore's famous guests - writer and Nobel Laureate, Rudyard Kipling, stayed in 1889.. just 2 years after the hotel opened.

The recreation is based on Kipling's recorded remarks of his stay in his travel log that he kept. It looked like a scene from when he just got out of bed, with fresh bread and coffee for breakfast, and a pot of curry from last night's dinner on his bedside table.

I was pretty surprised that the food props are all fresh, real food and Lil Pumpkin even commented that they smelt delicious haha...

In the adjoining room, we saw some of Kipling's works and some old photographs of the beach scenes he might have seen when he looked out of his room window as well, in case you didn't know, Raffles Hotel was originally a 10-room beach-front bungalow and the beach actually reached up to where the current South Beach Club {former SAF NCO clubhouse - where I first started to train for competitive swimming!!} is.

After that we stepped next door and learnt more about the history of Raffles Hotel, and its surrounding areas, through the crockery and food served at the Coronation of King George VI, and many others.

The elaborate menus of the events held at Raffles Hotel over the years offered a glimpse into the signature of these events.

One special dish mentioned was the "Turtle Soup" which is very different from the Asian version that we are so used to in Singapore.. but just as exotic and delicious apparently and was popular with the British royalty. It was made from a 100lb turtle and served during the Silver Jubilee dinner of King George V in 1935.

When you go for the tour, don't miss a replica of the late Lee Kuan Yew's wedding cake, minus the famous "Stikfas" {his glue company during WWII} logo sticker hehe. He had his wedding there on 30 Sep 1950 ❤

The second part of the tour was led by Mr Roslee, one of the hotel's resident historian who has worked there for the past 15 years.

You know a hotel has legit heritage when they have their own team of resident historians haha.

I really liked this part as we got to see the grand Sarkies Suite {named after the founders}, one of the hotel's presidential suites where even Prince William and his wife Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton stayed during their 2012 visit.

As we walked through, we were told that while the hotel's architecture and exterior will remain the same after the restoration due to its status as a National Monument, the interior and furniture would likely change.

For example, the handwoven Persian rugs and some of the antique furniture that we saw in the Sarkies Suite will no longer be present after the restoration..

These 2 weeks are the last time we would see and appreciate the interior of Raffles Hotel Singapore as it is now.

Upon hearing that, it really brought some pangs to my heart as I'm reminded once again that change is inevitable, and time stands still for no man...

After that we went to the Hall of Fame to see some of the many famous celebrities and personalities that the hotel has played host to - Queen Elizabeth II, George Lucas, Bill Clinton, Kofi Annan, Elizabeth Taylor, Karl Lagerfeld, just to name a few.. 

I'm glad that Lil Pumpkin was very engaged with the tour, listened to the guide and kept asking questions...

The tour might not be suitable for younger children though as space is limited, the group moves at a fast pace and most of the exhibits are not interactive and kids being kids.. well, it's hard to keep their tiny hands from trying to touch everything!  

"A Last, Lingering Look at an Icon" exhibition and tour is curated by the Preservation of Sites and Monuments in NHB and guided by its volunteers. Tickets are priced at S$12 and include a delectable kaya souvenir.

Unfortunately, even at the time of the preview, all the tours were booked out due to overwhelming response. I doubt that there will be additional tours added, but do visit Raffles Hotel Singapore website to keep up to dates with news on its restoration works, and grand opening in 2018.

I'm sure that there would be new and interesting tours then, which you definitely don't want to miss! See more photos from  "A Last, Lingering Look at an Icon" exhibition and tour in the video above or on my YouTube channel if it isn't playing well.

Other Singapore heritage places:
Japanese Cemetery Park {日本人墓地公園}
Malaysian Royal Family Graveyard {Tanah Kubur Diraja}
 Makam Puteri Radin Mas {Keramat Radin Mas}
Sembawang Hot Spring
Singapore Lighthouse {Raffles, Fullerton & Sultan Shoal}
Singapore Southern Islands {St John's, Lazarus & Seringat}
 Sungei Road Theives Market {closed July 2017}
Heritage Kids Playgrounds
Kampong Buangkok
 Buddha Tooth Relic Temple & Museum
Raffles Hotel
Old Changi Hospital 

Have you seen Hasbro's FIRST ever animated digital series HANAZUKI Full of Treasures yet? ✨Available free on YouTube, the story revolves around an adorable Moonflower, Hanazuki, who discovers herself through her courageous adventures of saving the entire galaxy with the magical powers of her various moods. @lovelilpumpkin insisted on bringing out her new Little Dreamer plushie {one of the main characters in Hanazuki} out with us tonight haha.. She's also wearing the Hanazuki Moongleam Wearable wristband that lights up! You can attach the matching "treasures" {comes with 2, or buy blind packs to collect more} to make the wristband glow in the colour matching tt treasure! 💫 Very pretty and we can even connect it to the downloadable Hanazuki app via Bluetooth, and explore various light displays & in-app surprises 👍🏻 Saw online that there's many more cute Hanazuki toys available & I hope they bring them all in to SG soon! 💕🌸 #sakuraharuka #hanazuki #kidstoys @hasbrosingapore @hasbro

A post shared by Ai Sakura  (@aisakuraharuka) on Jul 31, 2017 at 7:46am PDT

P.S. If you were wondering about the doll Lil Pumpkin was carrying around that night, it's from Hanazuki, a new anime series from Hasbro haha..

*Disclosure: Unless otherwise stated, images belong to Raffles Hotel Singapore. All opinions are my own.

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